Friday, February 13, 2009

How many Deaths in Custody in Malaysia?

How many Deaths in Custody in Malaysia?

According to a 8/7/2008 Bernama Report, the Dewan Rakyat was informed that there were 'there were 1,535 deaths in prisons, rehabilitation centres and detention centres for illegal immigrants between 2003 and last year.'BERNAMA , 8/7/2008 1,535 Deaths In Custody Between 2003 And Last Year

So, how many deaths in police custody... only 85 between 2003 - 2007.

Wan Ahmad Farid said according to police statistics there were 85 deaths recorded in police lock-ups during the 2003-2007 period of which 77 were due to diseases, seven due to suicide by hanging and one due to a fight in the cell. "There was only one death in police custody due to excessive force by those on duty," he said.BERNAMA , 8/7/2008 1,535 Deaths In Custody Between 2003 And Last Year

Remember that in April 2007, our Prime Minister said 108 between 2000 and 2006...

In a parliamentary written reply to Wong Nai Chee (BN-Kota Melaka), Abdullah, who is also internal security minister, stated that the number of deaths was highest in 2003 with 23 cases. - see earlier posting in this blog

And earlier on in February 2005,

In Malaysia "...from 1990 till September last year[2004], a total of 1,583 deaths among prisoners were recorded in 28 prisons nationwide, with the highest number in 2003 when 279 inmates died. During the same period, 150 detainees died in police lock-ups or custody" (statistics from a 49-page parliamentary written reply by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) - Feb 7, 2005,Malaysiakini (Source: Malaysia & Human Rights Website)

Remember also the 1,300 who died in those Migrant Detention Centres over the past 6 years because of inaccess to necessary healthcare..

ABOUT 1,300 illegal foreigners have died during detention in the past six years, Malaysia Nanban quoted Malaysian Human Rights (Suhakam) commissioner Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam as saying.

The police can give all kinds of reasons for the deaths that occurred in their custody - illness...suicide by hanging... BUT we really need to conduct proper inquiries into these deaths. Suicide - this is almost impossible to happen, especially since there is seldom only 1 in a cell, and there is 24 hours CCTV monitoring, and prisoners are usually deprived of items of their clothings that could be used to hand themselves or 'stranggle' another... If the police investigates deaths that may have been caused by other police officers, the Malaysian public will never be fully satisfied...and there will always be a belief that there was a 'cover-up'. Remember, that police denied responsibility for Anwar's black eye for a very long time - and sadly all those who lied to us managed to get away 'scot free'. Honesty is something I no longer expect from our Malaysian police.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 (Bernama) -- The Dewan Rakyat was told Tuesday there were 1,535 deaths in prisons, rehabilitation centres and detention centres for illegal immigrants between 2003 and last year.

There were 600 deaths in drug rehabilitation centres, according to the Prisons Department records. Deputy Home Minister Senator Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh said the country's prisons had a better track record compared to prisons in the United Kingdom if that country's 'benchmarking' figures were used.

"In 2007, the number of deaths in British prisons was 183 while here there were only three.

"Most of the deaths were in hospitals, that is when the prisoners were undergoing treatment, one per cent of the deaths occurred while they were on the way to hospital and 0.5 per cent happened in the prisons," he said in reply to a supplementary question from M. Kulasegaran (DAP-Ipoh Barat).

Kulasegaran wanted to know the cause of detainees' deaths and asked if there was a special body to investigate deaths in prisons and detention centres.

Wan Ahmad Farid said according to police statistics there were 85 deaths recorded in police lock-ups during the 2003-2007 period of which 77 were due to diseases, seven due to suicide by hanging and one due to a fight in the cell.

"There was only one death in police custody due to excessive force by those on duty," he said.

He said based on medical officers' and coroners' reports, the main cause of deaths were diseases like HIV/Aids, septicaemia, pulmonary tuberculosis, cancer, heart disease, blood-related problems and asthma as well as infections of the intestines, liver, lungs and throat.

Wan Ahmad Farid said there were also deaths due to hanging, blood clots and falls in the bathrooms or toilets.

He said follow-up action taken to overcome deaths included having closed-circuit surveillance in all areas, increasing visits and patrols as well as having dialogue sessions with detainees to identify problems they faced.-- BERNAMA , 8/7/2008 1,535 Deaths In Custody Between 2003 And Last Year